Hyderabad, March 30 : India and the US conducted a bilateral tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise on Kakinada beach in Andhra Pradesh on Friday as part of Tiger Triumph 24.

This exercise, aimed at enhancing readiness and cooperation between the two forces, is part of the ongoing partnership between India and the US, according to a statement from the US Consulate here on Saturday.

Teams from the two countries cooperated to perform an amphibious landing and erected a field hospital and a camp for displaced persons as part of the exercise which anticipates the two countries cooperating after a natural disaster.

The exercise improved interoperability for conducting HADR operations and refined Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enable rapid and smooth coordination between the armed forces of both countries.

Indian Navy ships with helicopters and landing craft, Indian Navy aircraft, Indian Army personnel and vehicles, Indian Air Force aircraft and helicopters, along with the Rapid Action Medical Teams participated from the Indian side. The US was represented by U.S. Navy ships with embarked troops of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army. Landing craft, hovercraft and helicopters from the U.S. Navy provided support.

The Humanitarian Assistance Exercise on was witnessed by Jennifer Larson, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad, Rear Admiral Joaquin J. Martinez de Pinillos, Reserve Vice Commander U.S. Seventh Fleet, Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankar, Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Fleet, and Major General Akhilesh Kumar, Major General Akhilesh Kumar, General Officer Commanding of 54 Infantry Division.

'The defence relationship between India and the United States has grown immensely during recent years. This is the third Tiger Triumph Exercise, but the current one is magnitude larger and more complex compared to the first two,' said Rear Admiral Martinez.

'Operations like Tiger Triumph build trust and confidence in our ability to work together and to respond as an integrated joint force to deal with real-world crisis,' he said.

'I am confident that both the countries benefited from this exercise. Tiger Triumph 2024 has added value towards improving capabilities, capacities, processes, and procedures to save human lives and to undertake coordinated relief activities during HADR operations,' Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankar said.

'It's inspiring to see our close partnership and cooperation in action. Unforgettable experience!,' tweeted Consul General Jennifer Larson.

The Tiger Triumph 2024 Exercise began in Visakhapatnam on March 18 and it will conclude on March 31. Amphibious transport ships the INS Jalashwa of the Indian Navy and the USS Somerset of the U.S. Navy along with other vessels including the USS Halsey, the INS Airavat and the INS Kesari are participating in the Tiger Triumph Exercise.

/IANS